InfoComm, the largest trade show for the AV industry, descends upon the city of Orlando this week.
Manufacturers, distributors, integrators and end users from all over the country will get together to witness some of the most exciting pro-AV discussions to take place under one roof. As always, the show will break records in terms of attendance.
But what about those who can’t attend? There’s always a large chunk of potential attendees who make up their minds to attend the event, put the dates on the calendar, and yet something thwarts their plans of attending, despite their best intentions. I’ve faced this a lot of times. I’m sure many of you have experienced the same.
I have spoken at, attended or spectated hundreds of conferences over the last few years. When it comes to management of these events, live streaming is one of the hottest topics. We see live streaming as the best way to broaden the reach of an event. However, to date, InfoComm isn’t offering much of this option, probably because there is some concern about how it may erode show attendance. But I believe that more live education and streaming will actually increase awareness. And bolster future attendance.
Related: Get CTS Certified at InfoComm 2015
Real-time streaming of video allows an event to reach a global audience. It knocks down the barriers that may prevent someone from participating. For instance, let’s say a person living in Rome wants to be a part of an event taking place in the U.S. What are his chances of not making it? Missing his flight, or having his flight delayed due to inclement weather are possibilities. A sudden emergency needing to be attended to is another.
Cost alone could be a major factor in a more global audience not being able to benefit from your conference. Live streamed events can significantly increase the chances of such people attending the event, though virtually.
As for attendance concerns? Live streaming, in my experience, hasn’t stopped people from attending events, however, it has introduced people to new events, new business opportunities and even new clients. There’s also a bright new side to live streaming that even ‘real’ events can’t come close to replicating.
Live Streaming May Act as a Trailer
When people see the quality of the event and get a first-hand feel of it, albeit virtually, it piques their interest. They become more excited about attending the event in person, maybe the next year. If, for some reason, they can’t go, they’ll still talk about it and attend it online. Both cases have the potential to increase visibility.
Live Streaming Gets People Talking
In today’s digital world, the Internet and social media are an event producer’s best visibility tools.
Apple and Google are two of the big boys who offer their events in real-time. Salesforce does as well, and for good reason. They understand the benefit of using online video streaming to excite and engage not only a whole other group of potential attendees, but to also drive interest and social sharing of their event clips and other details.
They understand that online, chatter is money, and they certainly know how to bring in the big bucks.
What’s Good Performs Even Better
Live streaming works best for those events that have an excited online community. People are more likely to sit through an online event when they know it’s a major industry show. Being the most talked-about AV event on the planet, InfoComm perfectly fits the bill.
Live streaming is certainly not new, but the recent hype generated from apps like Meerkat and Twitter’s Periscope—both of which have millions of active users—is proof that people love engaging online, in real-time. Some stay glued for more than two hours a day. Clearly, there’s a lot of potential in live streaming.
It’s time for InfoComm to go live.
